Sleepy Hollow: "The Vessel" Review

Macey Go Cracey

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January 13, 2014

Note: Full spoilers for the episode follow.

The center of Sleepy Hollow is always going to be Abbie and Ichabod, as it should be. The actors and writers have a very sure hand with these two and their relationship, which seems to deepen every week in at least some small way. With such strong main characters the supporting cast has been an afterthought for much of this first season, but "The Vessel" puts Frank and Jenny front and center this week and it pays off.

When Sleepy Hollow began, everyone around Abbie and Ichabod seemed to be there just to provide them with either exposition or an obstacle. As the weeks progressed, however, we got to know other characters - most notably Jenny and Irving. We got a quick rundown of Jenny's past and hints that she knew more than she was letting on while instead of a past Irving was given a family. I wasn't terribly excited about that family and some of those reservations still remain, namely that his relationship with his daughter seems over-the-top cute and her mother is asked to keep hitting the same frustrated/disapproving notes. The highlights came when they were being threatened by possessed street vendors.

So I was pleased to see that not only have they not forgotten Frank's run-in with the vendor, it's being treated in much the way you'd expect it to be in the real world. These scenes recalled the pilot in that we've bought in to this outrageous premise for a show but when the characters in it need to explain themselves they sound hopelessly deranged and they know it. Between already feeling guilty about not being there for his family and having them being directly threatened by a friggin' DEMON and knowing full well how absurd the truth is going to sound to everyone, Frank's already close to the breaking point. When his daughter turns into the Evil Elephant Man it makes perfect sense that he'd just make a beeline for the Bible to hand it over. Who wouldn't?

Jenny's motivations felt just as grounded and believable- not many people would be eager to screen a video of that time they were possessed by Antcitif and correctly predicted the murder of their mentor to his face, but by the episode's end it's made clear that she's been fighting inner demons (pun not really intended, but it's there if you want it) for years to protect her sister. It was also good to see her come into contact with the nutso doomsday militia. It's all well and good to hear her résumé, but seeing the respect she commands and skills she displays ("You may break in quicker, but I'm better at breaking out." "Noted.") do a world of good for backing up that kick-ass reputation.

This attention to character while all these wild things are happening is what makes Sleepy Hollow much more than just some "monster of the week" show. I still didn't care too much about the Irving clan and couldn't wait for things to go sideways, but once they did the stakes felt real and frightening. Kudos to Amandla Stenberg for diving in and reveling in being possessed - when you're reminding me of Linda Blair's spinning head and not suffering in the comparison, you're on your game. Between this and The Hunger Games, Stenberg currently holds the World Heavyweight Champion belt for cutest little moppet on screen. And while it was a happy ending for the Irving family and Mills sisters, not so much for cops and priest back at the so-called safe house. Sleepy Hollow has a good habit of tying up these loose ends, but for this week those disturbingly casual murders were an afterthought.

Of course in the end we're left with another strong scene between Abbie and Ichabod, as they easily toggle between light teasing about dry cleaning to discussing the merits of 18th Century invisible ink to... a George Washington cliffhanger! All we know is that it's dated after he died - we'll have to wait on the content. My best guess is that it says "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine."